Your private space: Why designing a bathroom matters

It is the sanctuary at home, plan carefully when you decorate it and mind details in picking accessories

The bathroom is a sanctuary to think, be curious and just left alone. The place should be designed thoughtfully and carefully.

To create a comfortable and classy bathroom, choose each part of it with attention: the toilet, the sink, the shower or tub, shelves, vanity mirror. Automated accessories give a sense of luxury to otherwise usual bathroom designs.

Rahul Mistri, principal designer at design studio Open Atelier Mumbai, suggests ways to transform mundane spaces. “Spruce up your bathroom surfaces by adding murals or abstract illustrations on full length walls or ceilings as per personal preferences. This can add significant value and drama to your confined spaces in comparison to the common hack of adding frames,” he says.

"Expand the visual and sensory quality of your bathroom spaces by incorporating fluted glass partitions instead of opaque walls. They add a spa-like feel to your experience while maintaining the privacy between the bedroom and bath-space. Bold experimentation with textures for faucet finishes as well as material boards can result in customised uniqueness for your private spaces.”

Bathroom budget

Renovating a small bathroom of length 7 feet and width 5 feet will cost anywhere between Rs 1.37 lakh to Rs 2.04 lakh, according to Parag Rastogi, head of sourcing and merchandising, Hippo Stores. The cost includes dismantling, tiles and flooring, electrical and plumbing works, paint, sanitary ware, bath fittings and accessories. 

A small bathroom is a challenging to decorate, but done right it can seem brighter and spacious. There is no limit to how much you can invest on solid gold bathtubs to grey marble bathrooms. “The cost of making a standard bathroom with economical fitting may vary between Rs 75,000 to (Rs) 1.5 lakh. But if you get premium to luxury accessories, just one shower or sink can cost you a couple of lakhs. According to me the cost varies widely depending upon the quality of tile, the faucets used, the sanitary fittings, the plumbing connection and every accessory used and depends upon the overall aspiration of the client,” says Anshu Taneja, a Gurugram-based interior designer.

Accessories give a bathroom a spa-like ambience. Choose a faucet that is efficient, safe (doesn’t overheat) and looks elegant. If you are feeling adventurous, try innovative shapes like a joystick faucet, or funky colours. If safety and hygiene are your priority, a faucet with touchless solution that uses motion sensors to control water flow would be the right option.

“A faucet that is beyond functionality, provides maximum safety and hygiene, aesthetic in nature and has a sustainability quotient attached to it is a ‘Bestseller’. Apart from this, type of faucets also varies depending on the geography and the demography of the customers,” says K E Ranganathan, managing director at Roca Bathroom Products.

Then you have faucets with digital displays indicating water temperature and even metallic 3D-printed faucets. 

Shower is another critical segment of a bathroom. Brands offer features such as Column shower, Waterfall, Rain-shower, Mist, and Cascade.

Washbasins are no longer just drab structures. Kohler’s limited-edition ‘Quila’ takes inspiration from a miniature painting and it costs Rs 5 lakh.

All high-end brands have eco-friendly and water-saving faucets, showers, and flushing systems. “While the standard delivery of water will take 12 litres of water, the eco version can reduce the delivery by as much as 60 per cent,” says Gaurav Malhotra, managing director at Hansgrohe India, a premium brand for bathrooms and kitchens.

"There are newer technologies which help in how water is delivered to your body--a beautiful spray type called powdering is the best example of this, where even though we are using 30-40 % less water and integrating air in it – the way the water droplet hits your body, makes you feel more drenched.”

The toilet will define of your bathroom. Depending on space and maintenance cost, you can opt either for a wall- or a floor-mounted toilet.

A well-lit bathroom makes for a happy space, so select fixtures that accentuate the place.

What’s trending

White continues to be the dominant colour in sanitary ware, signifying purity and hygiene. “Other shades/colours of ceramics are not preferred by Indian consumers, architects and designers. There is a very niche market for coloured ceramics, and we will continue to keep an eye on this emerging trend, says Bobby Joseph, leader LWT India and subcontinent (GROHE & American Standard), a global brand for bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings.

"When it comes to faucets and fittings, chrome is a classic finish that never goes out of style. More exotic and differentiated colours, such as gold, black and brushed finishes, are becoming more popular as a trendy new alternative to chrome,” he says.

Roca has onyx, coffee, black and beige colours in sanitary ware, responding to evolving consumer tastes.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we regard our homes. “Everything is boundary-less now and the home just needs to flow from one experience to another. Health and wellness, (and) care about both oneself and community have become important,” says Malhotra, MD Hansgrohe India.